Clayton County police are asking for the public’s help to locate a 69-year-old man wanted in connection with a double shooting that left a 34-year-old mother dead.
Monique Miles was shot multiple times Thursday at a home in the 4500 block of Richard Road in the Conley area, according to police. She was dead when officers arrived shortly after noon, and another woman was found alive but seriously wounded in a separate room.
Officers applied a tourniquet to the second woman, who had been shot multiple times, before medics took her to a hospital, a police spokesperson said.
The suspected shooter was later identified as Charles Wise. He is being sought on charges of malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony.
Credit: Clayton County Police Department
Credit: Clayton County Police Department
According to those who loved her, Miles was a devoted daughter, mother and friend. Friends believe it was Miles’ loyalty that put her in the line of fire Thursday afternoon. She was visiting her girlfriend at the Conley home, where her girlfriend had recently rented a room. The girlfriend became involved in an argument with her landlord, which eventually escalated to gunfire.
A Clayton County police spokesperson confirmed Wise was involved in the dispute but could not confirm his connection to the Richard Road home.
Sherri Painter believes her friend was trying to step between her girlfriend and the gunman when she was shot.
“She was so lovable,” Painter said. “She ain’t got a mean bone in her body. She’s the one that steps in, you know, like, ‘Come on, y’all, let’s not do that.’ She de-escalates. We don’t understand how can some man can be that upset with somebody.”
Painter benefitted from Miles’ loyalty firsthand. A few years ago, Miles flew to Los Angeles to lend her handiwork skills as Painter was getting her food truck business up and running. Recently, Painter said Miles was helping another Atlanta friend who opened a coffee shop.
“She knows how to do everything,” Painter said of Miles’ long list of skills. “It’s amazing she didn’t have her own business, but she wanted to bless everybody else.”
She was working at the coffee shop and as a driver for ride-share services, Painter said, but the proudest accomplishment was her 11-year-old daughter, Mekenzie. Family was everything to Miles, whose relationship to her daughter and mother was as close as “the Three Musketeers,” her friend said.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
A crowd of mourners gathered Saturday night outside the Blue Flame lounge in northwest Atlanta’s Collier Heights neighborhood to hold a vigil for Miles. They wore lime green, Miles’ favorite, and released green balloons. Her girlfriend, who is also a mother to a young child, is still fighting for her life in a hospital, Painter said.
A GoFundMe campaign is raising money to support Miles’ daughter directly. It’s a small gesture, Painter said, but Miles has touched so many people who want to help however they can.
Her efforts now focused on seeking justice, Painter said she won’t rest until an arrest is made. It’s the kind of support she would have received from Miles, if she was still here.
“She don’t deserve it,” Painter said. “As a friend, as the older friend she looked up to, I want to show people this is how you do it. This is how you be there for a friend. I’m focused on getting this man off the street.”
Police said Wise is 6-foot-1 and weighs about 190 pounds. Anyone with information about his whereabouts or the shooting is asked to call Clayton police at 770-477-3550.
Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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